This invention pertains to wheelchairs, and more particularly, to a headrest support for a wheelchair, that can be variously positioned, through a combination of horizontal, vertical, forward/rearward, tilt, rotational adjustments and oblique adjustments.
The utilization of a headrest attachment to a wheelchair offers beneficial support for the back of the head and neck which can extend the amount of time that an individual may remain comfortably seated. In cases where head control is lacking, as in individuals with brain trauma or other neuromuscular dysfunction, the support of a headrest is all the more necessary to stabilize the head and neck. To the degree that the headrest can be adjusted to accommodate the unique dimensions and posture of a given individual, it will provide the maximum benefit.
Existing wheelchair headrests are limited in their capacity to adapt to the more extreme postural dysfunctions that are known to occur. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,574 shows a headrest which is adjustable in the vertical and forward/rearward directions, only. U.S. Pat. No. 3,764,180 describes a neckrest which is adjustable horizontally, vertically, and which tilts. However, no single headrest was found to offer adjustability in the horizontal, vertical, forward/rearward, tilt, rotational and oblique directions, simultaneously.
It is thus desirable to provide a headrest support system effectively extending the range of adjustability beyond that heretofore available among prior art devices.